How to know if the brake pump is damaged

The main function of the brake pump or master cylinder is to pressurise the brake fluid and maintain the pressure throughout the hydraulic circuit of our vehicle.As the brake pump is driven by hydraulic pressure, it is operated by the action of the brake fluid, these master cylinders are prone to leakage problems that sometimes interfere with the fluid moving through the vehicle's brake system. When this happens, our car may not brake properly.

In this post, we tell you how to change the brake pump when it is damaged and some of the situations that can happen when it breaks down. But before going deeper into the subject, let’s remember the two types of brake master cylinder that we can find on the market:

In the single brake pump, the piston inside captures the movement of the pedal when braking, whereas in the tandem brake pump, there are two pistons placed one after the other.

How to replace a damaged brake pump

As we have already mentioned in previous posts, it is important to know when to repair a brake master cylinder or replace it completely. To carry out the replacement of the master cylinder failure symptoms of our vehicle, it is important to follow step by step the specifications to repair the parts correctly:

• The first thing to do is to drain the brake fluid circuit of our pump. In this way we will take the opportunity to change all the brake fluid.
• We then proceed to dismantle the reservoir containing the fluid and remove the screws.
• The next step is to fit the new brake pump with the help of the screws and attach the master cylinder to the reservoir of our car.
• Finally, we fill the fluid reservoir and bleed the circuit.

Three situations in which the brake pump needs to be replaced

How to tell if master cylinder needs replacing? It is important to remember that detecting a fault in the braking system of your vehicle in time can mean the difference between a simple repair or a traffic accident.

There are several reasons why it is necessary to change the brake pump or master cylinder of our car. Below, we point out some situations or signs your master cylinder is going bad and indicate that is damaged:

When we notice that the pedal is depressed

If you feel a strange sensation when you press the brake pedal of your car, this may be due to a damaged brake pump. A faulty pump can mean that the pedal in your car feels spongy, soft or hollow when you step on it to brake. In this case, the brake pedal sinks and does not return to its original position.

When the brake pedal does not return 

This can happen because the system that returns the brake pedal, specifically the brake cylinder spring and the spring in the brake servo, are damaged. If one of these components is damaged, the brake pedal does not return.

When brake fluid is dirty or missing 

A low brake fluid level can be an indicator of a possible leak in the brake system. At the same time, it is possible that the brake fluid is dirty, because the seals inside the brake pump break down due to vehicle wear and tear and eventually contaminate the fluid. 

From Frenkit we remind you that when your vehicle suffers one of the brake master cylinder symptons described above, it is important to go to a specialist workshop or a professional to help you with the repair.

Now that you know which are the situations in which to change the brake pump and how to disassemble the master cylinder of your vehicle, from Frenkit we offer you a wide range of brake pump repair kits for all of vehicles.

Whether you are a professional in the vehicle spare parts sector or you decide to change the brake pump of your vehicle on your own, at Frenkit we manufacture and distribute brake pump components for all vehicle ranges.

Did you find this post interesting? Do you know of other situations in which to change the brake pump or master cylinder failure symptoms? Discover our blog where we talk about everything related to the vehicle, such as what it is a clutch in a car or the EPB malfunction and what to do about it.